


taking control

by whyiotto



Category: INSIDE (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Better Than Canon, Body Horror, Canon Compliant, Dissociation, Gore, Human Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Character Death, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, Light Sadism, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Nice voice, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Paranoia, Past Mind Control, Post-Canon, Revenge, Spoilers, Therapy, Will probably suck, im sorry, imma call him huddie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:41:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23388943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whyiotto/pseuds/whyiotto
Summary: the boy ends the experiment realizing he's playing into their trap. Feeling and remembering all the encounters of death he's been through just to start again with the same outcome. He decides he's out for blood, if he has the chance to hurt whoever did this to him.
Kudos: 14





	taking control

**Author's Note:**

> howdy~  
> this is my first fic as you can see so im still working out the kinks and my writing style, don't hope for too much. this is on canon until the whole going off the grid and murder comes up. it's a lot of dialogue and yeah

Falling to the ground, the boy looked toward the rocks he was seemingly pushed from, feeling a sense of caution and confusion. Eying the wall, he realized whomever or whatever “pushed him” didn’t want him there and even if he had wanted to, the distance was too high for him to attempt to climb back up. The boy turned and began walking through the trees, glancing around him trying to find someone - anyone, who seemed like they could help him get back to wherever he was before. He couldn’t help but feel his skin raise and his body automatically tense up as if it were telling him to stop. Something was wrong. He needed to go home.

The more he looked at his surroundings, the slower his pace got and the more lost in thought he became. Why would they, whoever they were, just leave him abandoned, to fend for himself? Where is he supposed to go? How is he going to survive?

The eeriness of the forest which he slowly walked, if you could consider his stumbling marching pace a walk, was quiet and loud at the same time; yelling and whispering two different commands getting muddled inside his ears. Reaching towards the trees, he ran his fingers up and down its long expanse watching as the bark crumbled where he placed. Old and forever dying was the characteristic of everything he saw: the leaves crunching under his feet, the branches thin and breaking, even the sky looked as if it couldn’t go on any much longer. He hoped he wouldn’t find himself in the same condition.

He willed himself to continue to walk the lighted path even though his body was telling him to stop; he needed to stop. He needed to end this before it got out of hand, but he didn’t know that meant. He didn't know how to stop as if his body was on a mission, a test, to see what was beyond. As if his body and mind were two separate entities fighting to break free from each other's opposite opinions. He continued to walk even though he knew he shouldn’t.

Although the situation he found himself being dropped into - literally - wasn’t ideal and something he would’ve chosen for himself, he couldn’t help but see this as an adventure. All by himself, he was able to do whatever he would’ve liked and found himself dancing down a fallen tree branch as his heartbeat pounded faster and faster. Stop what you’re doing foolish boy, it bellowed, but his feet couldn’t bear to listen. **Follow the light shined path.Follow the light shined path.**

The farther he walked from his original spot, the brighter everything got. Maybe his mind was playing a trick on him? Why would he want to wallow in the darkness, scaring himself witless? **This is the best decision. Follow the path, boy. Don’t stop following the path, boy.**

Slipping down a small hill, mud entering the fibers of his shirt, a clearing full of trees welcomed him telling him to move closer, but in a cool manner. A man! A man in a truck with other men! Minutes upon walking by himself felt like hours and from far away these men in their steel trucks were his safe haven. Go, go, his mind told him, but finally his feet stopped dead in its tracks. Thoughts hit the boy like stones; solid and bone crushing.

_Stop moving, stop walking, stop thinking the way you do, do you want to die and become like the rest?_

He smacked his hands over his mouth in fear his panicked thoughts were too loud and would cause him to breathe in a different type of manner, loud and very obvious. Standing as still as a statue, he waited until the trucks had driven away still and was standing there minutes after.

_You know this won’t end well if you don’t remember and listen to me, to us._

The boy shook his head. Something bad was going to happen he just knew, but this crazy talking voice in his head was going to put him in an uncomfortable position where he might lose sight of what’s important. Find what’s beyond. The boy continues walking with the demeanor of the forest getting grimmer; although, lights shone in the distance.

_Light is bad, stay away from light. Light equals death._

Light equals death he thought to himself wondering where ever did get a thought such as this. It said in such a confident and panicked tone that he couldn’t help but believe it.

_Good._

Bulking objects stood in the forest, looking out of use, when he finally got a glimpse of the light that was once shining from a distance. Men. Turn around now. The voice is louder than ever, his head hurting from the many voices combined talking over each other, saying many things. But the message stood: _THEY AREN’T SAFE, RUN WHILE YOU CAN._

He didn’t attempt to jump down from the small overhead and kept where he was; while, the two men chatted in the background. Crouching, the boy in red listened to them confused by their conversation.

“The new boy’s supposed to come through these parts soon; so, keep a lookout. Wouldn’t want to make this too easy on them, right?” the taller man chuckled, bumping shoulders with the other.

“Hell, isn’t he gonna be the fifth one this week. Seems like the little bastards aren’t as competent as last. Feels as if the past few have made the mold already.” the man holding the flashlight complained.

“I kind of feel bad for the little fuckers. All this to just become… that. Some don’t even make it that far, although they're lucky to get out at the beginning.” the tall man sighed looking off in the distance.

“What a load, you say that as if you don’t kill the ones we catch. Either by suffocating ‘em or drowning ‘em. And it’s not our business to care about them, their purpose isn’t that. I stopped looking at them as kids after the first couple of times.”

“But it’s hard.”

“Not as hard as the beginning.”

“Feeling their little heartbeats and coughs underneath my palms as the light dims from their eyes. Oh fuck, their eyes. The panic and fright that fills them when they realize what’s about to happen, Frank, how can you be so… cold.”

“I’ve never liked actual kids in the first place, so maybe that’s a help. And stop seeing them as kids, they’re not. Would you be allowed to do this to children, authorized by the state?”

“You know the state doesn’t know about all this. They know the experiment, but not what it entails.”

“My statement is still valid. Why come for this job anyway? The wages are high and you only gotta kill a couple of kid wannabes for it. Sounds like a double win to me. Where’s the little hellion at anyway? He should’ve shown up five or so minutes ago.” he questioned flicking his flashing to the ground in front of him.

“I bet he’s fallen from the tree bridge. A couple of them do.”

“Yeah, the fucking stupid ones. Of all the ways to die. From falling, really?” the man laughed turning off his flashlight for good.

“Better than the dogs chewing him up or getting caught by the beam or Gills bringing him under.” the taller man turned and began walking away from the clearing.

“Oh, fuck Gills. Hate that creepy fuck.” he said, their voices going farther and farther into the distance until boy couldn’t hear them anymore.

Suddenly, not being able to find his breath, the boy realized his hand found itself back over his mouth and a good thing it did. Quiet, airy sobs hardly escaped his mouth. Red laid in the fetal position, trying to calm himself while the voices in his head yelled at him. _Did he want it to be like last time, to get so close but to come to his demise so soon? Why wasn’t he listening?_

Hearing the birds chirp and caw from the distance, his mind ran wild and seemingly soothed him. Telling him that they had him, that if he listened everything would work out the way it needed to. He WOULDN’T be hurt, never again. No more wandering in a forward motion without knowing that his death would be repeated. _Stop thinking like the boy, and begin thinking like yourself._

But wasn’t he the boy? How would he stop following his mind set if it was instilled in him? To start thinking like himself he would have to fight the harsh, black whisper in his ear, the cold, single voice that talked with detriment. From what he’s heard and seen so far, the jumbled voices, the young squeaky voices with a few deep baritones mixed in, had been keeping him from danger. Monitoring him and stopping him whenever his gut began to hurt and sweat trickled. To start thinking like himself, he would have to ignore any feeling to continue. Out of the box and full of meaning would he have to think to get himself out of this hazy forest, away from the men and their flashlights.

But then again, how could he know if they spoke in a true manner? How could he know if they weren’t trying to bring him off the intended course, towards something more sinister than the path and whatever laid in front of it? **Yes, boy, continue walking. Don’t you want to find out what’s beyond? Listen to me and quench your curiosity.**

It’s smooth tone massaged itself into his head and into his feet, walking commenced once again. With the quiet shrieks and yells falling to the back of his mind. _You are doing wrong. Don’t become one of us. One of us._

Hopping off of the heading, he walked and stood over where the two men once stood waiting for him, like they had done the others??? before him. What was his use? Would they really have hurt him if he has been seen? The trees here were much like the others; decaying and slowly falling apart. He imagined a day when they were once the most beautiful shades of brown, covered in light green moss, with strong and thick branches for him to climb. The other children, or someone, anyone, would weave up and down the trees with him competing to see who can climb the highest. Simple daydreams filled his mind as he let himself rest. His body hurt in ways he knew it had never before; some of it being emotion based.

He could tell by his body size that he hadn’t been let out much before he was placed here, and had to be small for his age. Guessing, he estimated himself to be around the ages of nine to eleven, but he wasn’t sure. The way his brain processed the scenes around him wasn’t a clear indicator for anything relevant just that his intuition was large and what kept him running.

The clearing didn’t seem to get any darker or lighter, staying the same even though he was sure he had to have been out here for a couple hours at this point. He found it strange how he could see the clouds but zero telltale signs of where he was and the time that had passed. He found it strange how he could hear the birds, but they never revealed themselves to him. Infact, he hadn’t seen much of any kind of animal or bug, at the least.

Pushing himself away from the base of the tree, he crawled on his hands and knees eyeing the ground for anything that would give him any type of closure. His hands picked up the dead brittle leaves and gouged the grass from below him. Worms, crickets, anything, but alas, he found nothing in its place besides the dirt. Becoming more frantic, the boy pulled at a faster speed and moved forward until he would himself in front a large metal contraption.

The box-like structure shone a dim light from inside as the boy tried to twist its latch to open, but found himself unable to. Looking inside, controls and buttons were nestled into the walls with words he didn’t understand. Gray box ended and continued through a tunnel going up as it was made to be filled with something surprising whoever entered it. Red looked up out of the box seeing the tunnel go on forever and ever, blending in with the trees and disappearing from sight.

Curiosity filled his mind like a hole that couldn’t be mended, what was its purpose? Nothing Red could see notified him of the makers' reasonings and job for this machinery. He found himself trying to read the inside’s buttons when he heard the crunching of leaves and laughing from far in the distance. The men had come back supposedly waiting for the “next boy” to come through.

_You have to leave, we need to leave. Running into the wilderness is an awful idea at this point. You ruined our chances at that, keep going. Follow the path until we tell you to stop. Only listen to us, not the voice._

Red ran as fast as he could towards a concrete wall wondering how he was ever gonna be able to climb that high. He needed to act quick before time had run out, there wasn’t going to be any second chances. Suspiciously, a perfectly placed icebox stood beside the wall. His mind told him the circumstances for this to be naturally abandoned there was odd, but didn’t have the time to keep the train of thought.

Pushing the icebox over, he felt strain in his body, clearly exhausted from the previous hours; although, most of it was mental strain caused by the voices and their annoying competing. He couldn’t care any measure about which one was correct at the moment; just hearing them both shrill directions at him was enough for him to wish them both gone. Wow, it was easier than expected; at least, easier than the tribulations he had gone through before. Being informed that your supposed saviors were meant to stop you dead in your tracks had really affected him. Everything he saw was now looked at with an air of caution. It’s true intentions were beyond him, everything had to be considered bad and harmful to keep him safe. To get him home.

Jumping down from the wall, landing on his feet stumbling, the boy heard other voices talking, distinctly different from the two previous men. One had a high pitched nasally voice while the other had a deep monotone. They exchanged glances towards his hiding spot every few seconds, but otherwise didn’t seem too on the lookout.

“Just keep the goddamn mutt away from me! Remember you’re the guy with the dog and I’m the one that stands… avoiding the dog.” the nasally voiced man exclaimed shrinking back away from the man holding the dog leash.

“It’s not a mutt. Fido here is a mix of whatever those scientist fucks mixed him with. Don’t be afraid of him, he’s a baby. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Red’s whole body jumped when taking a glance at “Fido”, as if that thing wouldn’t hurt a fly. He wanted to look away, but the fright that filled him didn’t let him. Every time he attempted to keep his head straight, he found himself turning to watch them as he slowly moved forward. The dog’s ears would perk up, but found himself already in the shadows and falling down a small slope.

Too many things in the lighted path were circumstantially placed in the perfect spot for him to move forward on. He could tell something was wrong about this; although, the gentle voice might be getting to him. Getting on top of the box and climbing the ledge, the boy slid into the river. Before he could brace himself, he had already made too much noise.

_What are you doing stopping? Keep going, you don’t have the time to stop and watch them like a spectator. Their creations are too enhanced to be slowing down, keep going! Please, we don’t have the time._

The voice kept him on track and informed of the current situation when his mind couldn’t take the events around him. He found himself being grateful that they were talking him through everything happening, what would he do without them? Telling him to go faster annoyed him since he was trying his best to keep the water from making too much noise and if they didn’t notice, it was quite hard. The water was already sloshing before he entered.

Taking glances at the dog and glowing light every few seconds, the boy found himself halfway through the creek when the light washed over him. The men from afar began yelling something incoherent and unclipped the dog’s collar from the leash. Red began running through the water as fast as he could; although, it was obvious the dog was gaining on him. Fear filled him and no matter how much he willed his feet to go faster, he couldn’t. _Speed up, go faster. Last time hurt so bad._

_It hurt so bad, all I could feel was electricity going through my legs._

_He didn’t get my legs, but my face. We were doomed from the beginning._

_I passed out before he reached me, scared._

_The mutt didn’t reach me. I fell off the cliff, too weak to pull myself up._

_The still boy brought me under, I don’t blame him. He must’ve been lonely by himself._

_Standing in a line behind the braindead, I couldn’t keep up._

_Exhausted I fell to my demise._

_The men got to me, they enjoyed listening to my cries and mocked me. They don’t understand our pain._

_We never got out._

_Get out._

_Don’t become one with us, fight them harder than we did, Boy._

_It feels safe, but at the expense of our freedom, just for their amusement._

_I want to be myself again, to see myself in the glass._

_I hate it here._

_Why does he get to live?_

_I want to live, I want to live, I want to live._

_KEEP RUNNING!_

Red couldn’t think of anything or hear anything beside the faint sounds of barking going on behind him and then the screaming sounds of the voices not shutting up. They used to sound the same, but now they were distinctly different; each one having a personality and pained or upset voices. Some whispered, some cried, some screamed until their voices went raw, but one stood out and gave him a real command. Something that saved his life.

_Jump as high as you can._

He vaulted over the ground and felt himself fall through the air. It’s as if time went in slow motion and everything went far away; they couldn’t touch him. Even the voices went quiet, buzzing in his ears.

For only a short moment, he could see himself from far away. His body sprawled out, stopped in motion, and the dog bit the air behind the boy. From father away, the men kept their lights towards their direction, but didn’t do anything to try and help the dog. Only watching.

Red was pushed back into his head and the buzzing stopped, the voices resumed. The tree roots were coming closer and closer toward him and if he didn’t act then, he wouldn’t be able to act again. Putting his hands in front of him, his hands gripped onto and into the derooted roots. Instantly, he could feel skin ripping from his hands and the aching in his legs slowly faded away.

The boy in the red kept hanging onto the roots, climbing up every so often, while the dog continued to bark from behind him, but he didn’t stay longer than a minute in case the men came to see what was taking the dog so long. Clambering up from the edge, he was instantly on his feet running with the energy he had left. The voices told him to slow, to keep himself stable, and not overexert himself. He just had to keep going, he couldn’t face, and didn’t want to face, what he had been experiencing. Maybe this was all fake? Maybe he was crazy? Maybe the men weren’t that bad and wouldn’t hurt him? Maybe the dog just wanted to get petted? Yeah, that’s it. The dog just wanted to be petted. 

**Author's Note:**

> if you can't tell im trying to use the huddle and the past "boys" as the voices in his head and am going through the actual game play of the Inside before the good part comes. let me know how I'm doing and how I can improve it. 8)


End file.
